Mr. Joyce, may I introduce M. Proust?

I was entranced to learn, in William Carter's
superlative
and Proust-sized biography, more about the fabled meeting between
the great Frenchman and the great Irishman in 1922, toward, the end
of Proust's life. It was on May 15 that Proust set out for the Hotel
Majestic to attend a supper in honor of the impressario Serge Diagalev
and the dancers of the Ballets Russes. It was a post-performance
party, so began at 12:30 a.m., which of course was the perfect time for
the nocturnal Proust to bestir himself.

By this time he was seriously ill. He ate little and almost never went
out in public. However, the host was Sydney Schiff, an English admirer
and a longtime friend who under his pseudonym Stephen Hudson would one day
translate the final volume of the Search under the title of Time
Regained. In his invitation, Schiff noted that Picasso would be there,
but didn't mention the name of James Joyce, whose epochal novel Ulysses
had been published in Paris two months before.

Joyce arrived late to the party (though before Proust) and found himself
the only or perhaps one of the only men present not to be wearing a tuxedo
or tails.

"The Irish author began drinking heavily to hide his embarrassment," as
William Carter writes in Marcel Proust: A Life. "Suddenly, the door
opened and Proust entered, wearing a fur coat.... Joyce followed the Schiffs
to the door and attached himself to Proust for the rest of the evening.
Perhaps geniuses attract, or perhaps Joyce, underdressed and slightly drunk,
felt more comfortable in the company of a fellow practitioner of his
craft.... The creators of Leopold Bloom and Charles Swann had little to say
to each other. Nonetheless, there are many variations of [their] meager
exchange.... Proust, presumably unimpressed with Joyce, never related the
encounter to anyone who recorded it. According to William Carlos Williams,
Joyce complained headaches and his eyes, while Proust
bemoaned his poor digestion. But Joyce told Jacques Mercanton that
'Proust would only talk about duchesses, while I was more concerned with
their chambermaids.' Violet Schiff remembered that the party broke up when
Proust suggested that the Schiffs accompany him to his apartment in a
taxi. Joyce, very tipsy, climbed into the taxi with them and promptly
opened the window. Schiff, knowing Proust's deadly fear of drafts, immediately
closed the window. When they arrived, Proust, in a polite gesture that also
served to get rid of Joyce, urged the Irishman to let the taxi take him
home. Joyce lingered, eager for more drink and badinage. Proust fled to
his apartment, leaving the Schiffs to persuade Joyce to return home on
his own.

"Joyce wrote Sylvia Beach in October, saying, with typical Joycean
wordplay, that he had 'read the first two volumes recommended by Mr.
Schiff of A la Recherche des Ombrelles Perdues par Plusiers Jeunes Filles
en Fleurs du côté de chez Swann et Gomorrhée et Co.
par Marcelle Proyce and James Joust.' Nothing more is known about his
opinion of Proust...."

The Penguin Proust

Sorry to say, the hardcover "Penguin Proust" is out of print, so
paperback or digital is the way to go. Click here for Amazon.com:

Personally, I think the Penguin Proust is worth the extra cost, but
if you are a traditionalist or want to save money, you can get the
Enright - Kilmartin - Scott Moncrieff translation for about sixty bucks from
Amazon.com.
Click here to order.